Students shine at the District 191 chess tournament

Talented players from across District 191 competed at the annual chess tournament, held at Diamondhead Education Center on Saturday, Dec. 6. Students from elementary through high school demonstrated skill, strategy and excellence as they participated in multiple matches throughout the day, with several personal achievements and record-making performances.

K-2 Novice Section

Gideon Pond Elementary first-grader Jameson Mayernik reigned supreme, capturing the championship title.

• 2nd place: Wyatt Chappelear, Sky Oaks, 2nd grade
• 3rd place: Theo Khamratthanome, Gideon Pond, 1st grade 

K-5 Section

Gideon Pond emerged as a powerhouse in the K–5 division. Levi Engelhard, Gideon Pond second grader, was named champion. He went a perfect 5-0, tying the record as the youngest district elementary champion. 

• 2nd place: Kaleb Albrecht, Gideon Pond, 5th grade (also undefeated with 4.5/5 points)
• 3rd place: Henrik Anderson, Gideon Pond, 4th grade
• 4th place: Gryffin Rosen, Harriet Bishop, 4th grade
• 5th place: Rylan Bader, William Byrne, 3rd grade

Grade-Level Awards

• 2nd grade: Atticus Vaubel, William Byrne
• 3rd grade: Ben Strand, Gideon Pond
• 4th grade: Pranav Kanuri, Gideon Pond
• 5th grade: Aiden Lorig, Gideon Pond

Coached by Rachel Theis, the team champion was Gideon Pond Elementary with 17 points.

Runner-up was William Byrne Elementary, coached by Stan Kegel and Sam Zupke, with 12.5 points.

6-12 Section

History was also made in the 6-12 division.

Thiago Briceno, Nicollet 6th grader, was crowned district champion. He tied the record for youngest player to win the secondary title, scoring 4.5/5.

• 2nd place: Franklin Briceno, Nicollet 8th grade
• 3rd place: Clayton Jenstad, Nicollet 7th grade

Grade-Level Awards

• 6th grade: Marshall Averitt, Nicollet
• 7th grade: Jack Christman, Nicollet
• 8th grade: Gracin Mathews, Nicollet
   

Nicollet Middle School, coached by Brian Ribnick, Tyler McDonald, Mike Patterson and Mark Burtnett, was named team champion. 

District 191 has a long history of chess excellence, including multiple national and state championships for individual students and school teams. Brian Ribnick, chess coordinator for the district and retired math teacher, is a member of the Minnesota Chess Hall of Fame and was the first winner of the District 191 Spirit of Excellence Award in 2016.

Thanks to District 191 Community Education chess residencies at elementary schools, District 191 is helping to make chess accessible to as many students as possible. Knowing the amazing benefits of this program, including improved critical thinking and problem-solving abilities as well as academic success, Community Education covers almost the entire cost of the chess residencies to limit barriers to kids learning the “Game of Kings.”

To learn more about chess programming in District 191, visit https://youtu.be/15S0Rq_-ucE?si=kZ5D4-_2H1eUAsOT